Nations League official line-ups: Turkiye vs. Italy

Nations League official line-ups: Turkiye vs. Italy Italy are transformed by eight changes including Matteo Ruggeri and Michael Kayode debuts, plus the Esposito brothers, Davide Frattesi, Alessandro Bastoni and Nicolò Fagioli stepping in against Turkiye. It kicks off at the Ataturk Spor Kompleski Matli Stadyumu in Bursa at 19.45 UK time (20.45 CEST). You can follow all the build-up and action as it happens on the Liveblog. PARMA, ITALY – AUGUST 22: (L-R) Leonardo Bonucci and Roberto Mancini attend the Serie A match between Parma Calcio and Cagliari Calcio at Stadio Ennio Tardini on August 22, 2026 in Parma, Italy. (Photo by Luca Amedeo Bizzarri/Getty Images) This represents a head-to-head at the foot of Nations League Group A, as both teams started the tournament with home defeats. The Azzurri lost 2-0 to Belgium , while Vincenzo Montella’s Turkiye were narrowly beaten 1-0 by France . Roberto Mancini makes a massive seven changes from the side that started on Friday, including the return of Bastoni after suspension. There are senior Italy debuts for Brentford full-back Kayode and Aston Villa’s Ruggeri, the latter only called up because Federico Dimarco withdrew from the squad due to injury. Official: Matteo Ruggeri joins Premier League club Aston Villa from LaLiga side Atletico Madrid (via www.avfc.co.uk) Nicolò Zaniolo was ruled out by a muscular injury, but 10 players didn’t even make the trip to Turkiye amid fitness concerns, including Nicolò Barella, Gianluca Mancini, Diego Coppola, all of whom had started against Belgium, Honest Ahanor, Eddy Kouadio, Samuele Ricci, Samuele Inacio, Mohamed Ali Zoma and Daniel Maldini. It means Giorgio Scalvini, Frattesi, Fagioli and Giacomo Raspadori step in, so the only remaining players who started last week are Francesco Pio Esposito, Sandro Tonali and goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma. A big surprise is that Sebastiano Esposito starts alongside his younger brother, Pio. Davide Frattesi of Italy gestures during the UEFA Nations League A soccer match Italy vs Israel in Udine, Italy, 14 October 2024. EPA-EFE/DAVIDE CASENTINI Montella is dealing with an injury crisis for Turkiye, missing the likes of Juventus star Kenan Yildiz, Inter midfielder Hakan Calhanoglu and former Sassuolo defender Mert Muldur. Goalkeeper Ugurcan Cakir was sent off in the 1-0 defeat to France, so he is suspended here and replaced by Altay Bayindir. INGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA – JUNE 25: Vincenzo Montella, Head Coach of Turkiye, looks on during the FIFA World Cup 2026 Group D match between Türkiye and USA at Los Angeles Stadium on June 25, 2026 in Inglewood, California. (Photo by Alex Grimm/Getty Images) There were also major doubts around Orkun Kokcu after a toe trauma in his right foot, but he is in the starting XI. Zeki Celik is familiar to Serie A fans from first Roma and now Juventus. The star man in the absence of Yildiz is now Real Madrid talent Arda Guler. MADRID, SPAIN – JANUARY 16: Arda Guler of Real Madrid reacts during the Copa Del Rey match between Real Madrid and Celta de Vigo at Estadio Santiago Bernabeu on January 16, 2025 in Madrid, Spain. (Photo by Angel Martinez/Getty Images) Turkiye vs. Italy line-ups Turkiye: Altay Bayindir; Celik, Demiral, Ozan Kabak; Oguz Aydin, Salih Ozcan, Orkun Kokcu, Eren Elmali; Arda Guler, Can Uzun; Baris Alper Yilmaz Turkiye bench: Muhammed Sengezer, Okan Kocuk, Samet Akaydin, Kerem Akturkoglu, Demir Ege Tiknaz, Deniz Gul, Abdulkerim Bardakci, Ismail Yuksek, Irfan Can Kahveci, Yunus Akgun, Ferdi Kadioglu, Mustafa Eskihellac Italy: Donnarumma; Kayode, Scalvini, Bastoni, Ruggeri; Frattesi, Tonali, Fagioli; Raspadori, P Esposito, S Esposito Italy bench: Carnesecchi, Vicario, Romano, Calafiori, Kean, Scamacca, Mandragora, Doumbia, Cambiaghi, Vergara, Ghilardi, Di Lorenzo Ref: Oliver (ENG)